Ch 13: Ancient Brains

Eric

For all his centuries of hunting, cunning, and unrelenting cleverness, Eric was at a complete loss. He was unable to figure out the identity of the man he had seen on the video feed at Sookie’s drop point on the day she apparently went to Dallas. That was eleven nights ago, and he was growing frustrated and impatient. Not one other human had turned up murdered. There was no doubt in Eric’s mind the man he saw was the serial killer Sookie had mentioned in her last note, and he was sure the note the man took gave detailed information about her knowledge of him. It was obvious by the man’s reaction. He slammed his fist down in exasperation on the desk as he went through Bon Temps police reports that he glamoured from a bald deputy. He was determined to find the killer. Who are you, you little bastard? It definitely was not this Jason Stackhouse, the police departments main suspect. Sookie’s brother seemed harmless and frankly, dumber than a box of rocks.

Eric growled in frustration. Now the killer knows that Sookie is aware of who he is. And depending on what the note said, he may be aware that she left it for a vampire, he thought to himself. The murderer can’t hide forever. Eric will find him. He has to! Sookie will be in immediate danger if she returns. Eric shook his head. No, when she returns. Her and Godric will return! He could not loose that hope.

He could not loose his maker or the mysterious woman he had grown fond of. He was tired of loss, tired of losing those he loved, he would not lose the maker he shared 1000 years of faith and love with or the woman who he was sure was his destiny for the next 1000. As much as Eric denied his capacity for love he did love Godric. His maker was the only one in 1000 years who could bear the full force of his fierce love. The Viking loved too hard. That is why he chose to not love at all. To bury it deep, lest it make him weak. He even held back from his child Pamela. Godric’s loss would wound him beyond all measure.

They have only been gone for 24 hours, apparently sucked through a portal leading to a strange new world. The gods only know what sort of twisted hell of a place they are in. Eric suddenly had a disturbing thought of a world where the sun never set. He imagined his maker hiding in a cave and shaking in pain from the never ending bleeds. He shook the nightmarish thought away.

No progress had been made on the investigation regarding the two vampires overheard in Godric’s office right after his disappearance either. Eric knew one was Nut-sucker, a young vampire from Sookie’s world. The other vampire was obviously his maker, but they had no leads on who he could be, only that he lived two states away from Texas. That included Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Kansas, Missouri, Tennessee, and Mississippi. It was too large of an area to cover. If Sookie were there with Eric she could use her mystifying powers of sight to figure it out, he thought. He was sure she would know. What a woman! Some day she would be his woman.

He had one advantage. Alan was completely unaware of what Eric knew. This may work in his benefit.

There was one thing about the conversation between the two vampires, relayed by Isabel, that intrigued Eric, more than intrigued, it gave him a shudder to think of the implications. The elder vampire, this maker of Alan, had mentioned werewolves. His mind darkened as he assumed something he had dared not think about in decades. This creature could be linked to the death of his human family who was killed by a pack of werewolves. That pack controlled by an ancient and anonymous vampire. Sookie was not the only one who seemed to know the future. Nut-sucker did too. Perhaps Eric would eventually seek his vengeance on the cold-blooded killer who caused him so much sorrow. His eyebrows raised in realization. Yes. That makes perfect sense. This unknown vampire was inexplicably linked to Eric and his maker. Why else would he be interfering at Godric’s nest. Without Sookie in their lives the murdering vampire would have the upper hand and be able to thwart him, or worse deliver the true death to both him and Godric. He was ancient enough to make a good go of it, older than Eric himself.

Eric was beginning to realize the situation was much deeper and more profound than he imagined. Sookie was the missing link to the puzzle and without her he may never have the answers. He would never let this woman go. One who saved his maker from his depression and eventual suicide as she claimed she could, and one who would deliver him the root of his anguish and grief from a millennium long hunt.

Eric was tired of thinking of disparaging thoughts, tired of sitting and waiting, tired of feeling helpless. He was not accustomed to these feelings. He opened his laptop and loaded the video of Sookie. The one where she pleasured herself in his name. Cried out for him in longing.

He watched her close her eyes in ecstasy as she touched herself. “You do not have to do that lover,” he sighed. “I will gladly pleasure you as you have never been pleasured.” He didn’t blame her for being wary of him. He was aware of his own character. Any creature in their right mind would tread lightly around him. But oh how he wished she would not run away from him. She would not regret it if she was his. He longed to touch her. Even when he had approached her at Merlotte’s he had refrained from laying one finger on her silky skin. She was so close, inches away, and it was almost unbearable.

The door rudely flung open and his child Pamela was standing before him with a smirk. He loved that smirk. “What do you want Pam?” He tried to sound irritated at her abrupt interruption. Truthfully though, he was grateful of any distraction.

“A new vampire has moved to the area. He has come to present himself to his sheriff.”

“Who is he?” Eric sat up straighter. Vampires rarely just moved on a whim to a new area unless they knew the sheriff in charge. Eric narrowed his eyes with no doubt in his mind that this had something to do with the recent events that plagued him.

“No idea. Never seen him before.” Pam put her hand on her hip and rolled her eyes. “He says his name is Carl and claims he’s from California.”

“Send him in.” Eric leaned back in his chair and folded his hands into a pyramid in front of his chest.

He watched silently a few minutes later as Pam escorted Carl from California into his office. Except it wasn’t Carl from California. It was him, the young vampire from Sookie’s world. He recognized him from the night he had overheard their conversation outside Sookie’s house. What sort of game was this vampire and his maker playing? Eric knew the advantage of having more knowledge than anyone was aware of would come in handy. This newcomer had made a fatal error in judgement. Eric was sure he was the key to returning Godric and Sookie.

Godric

Godric’s eyes opened suddenly and abruptly from his daytime slumber. He looked around as he laid in the large bed. He was shrouded in almost complete darkness. It looked as if Sookie had attached some sort of post extensions to the poles of the headboard and footboard and draped a thick black curtain all the way around the perimeter of the bed and over the top. It gave it the appearance of a canopy bed. It actually looked very nice and she obviously put a lot of care into it.

Even though the window in the bedroom was completely covered by sheets and blankets this canopy bed would protect him if the sun’s rays were blasting into the room. He pulled the curtain aside slightly to peek into the room and saw the sheets and blankets were gone from the window. There was some sort of blackout cover blind pulled down completely over it. She must have gone to the store and got one after she fixed up the bed. Or she already had it somewhere in the house and installed it.

He was aware of the warm body pressed against him and the deep rhythmic sighs against the side of his chest. His acute vampire senses honed in on every detail and sensation. Her mouth was so close to his nipple and her hot breath caressed him there. The fingertips of one soft hand was tickling the fine trail of hair that extended downward in a dark strip below his navel. She smacked her lips in her sleep which caused them to brush against his skin as her face nuzzled into him. The sensation sent shivers of delight and longing through him.

He felt a surge of desire as he remembered their encounter from the morning before. The taste of her, oh the sweet taste of her as he caressed his tongue over every inch of her leg greedily! She had no idea the joy and excitement he felt as her life filled him. And how he had fed from her inner thigh, the most intimate way to feed. Almost four centuries since I have sank fang in a thigh, he thought. And never to a woman who stirred him so profoundly.

He sighed remembering the feel of her skin on his hands and face. The savory smell of her pleasure as it filled all his senses and how it nearly sent him over the edge. How he wanted every bit of her as his need for her took over. In that moment, he was nearly lost as his fierce gaze of seduction captured her, willing her to give into her desire for him. She wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her, even before he unleashed his dark gift. His control had wavered, his need was so great, and he didn’t even feel shame for it. He felt… thrill. He felt wild and reckless and he loved the feeling. She would never know how difficult it was for him to cage his inner animal. How close he had come to diving into her in a frenzy of reckless abandon.

He could not, would not dare end his life now. Those feelings seemed so long ago, so far away, so small and insignificant. There was so much more than he imagined. There was a whole other world to explore and he was presently in it. He wondered if he had the capacity within himself to shape a new and better vampire society in this world which was devoid of supernatural phenomenon. One based off ideals of honor and ancient values of his kind that he held sacred rather than the sacrilege and carnage that his race continued to adhere to more fervently as the ages passed. He would have to ponder it more. For now, he knew he had to get back to his world. He could not leave his child, Eric. If he embarked on any new journey it would be with his progeny.

There were other reasons why he wanted to live. Sookie. She gave him cause to want to live, to want to explore new frontiers with her at his side. She mentioned she would live 1000’s of years. He would never have to go through the pain of losing a companion such as her. At least not to age, not for a very long time. She was as fragile as any human though. It would take so much to protect her and he was willing to provide it. He felt a thrill course through him at the thought of having a long term companion, one who not only could be his lover but also… Before he could finish that thought and think too much about it the warm bundle pressed against him stirred.

“Godric?” Came Sookie’s sleepy voice. “Are you awake?”

He looked at her face as she turned up to blink at him. “Yes, I am awake,” he whispered gently, raising his hand to caress her cheek.

She sat up quickly when she realized she was sprawled against his bare chest. “Oh, sorry. I must have cuddled up to you in my sleep. I wasn’t trying to…”

“It is quite all right.” His features softened in contentment as he propped himself up on his elbow and gazed at her, unaware of the intensity in his eyes. “It was a pleasant surprise awakening to your warmth.”

Sookie smiled nervously at him as she averted her eyes to her hands. She was thinking about what happened before the sun had risen and it made him grin his trademark lop-sided smile in silent knowing. He tried to push the thought out of his head that he wanted more. He wanted to relive yesterday, and he wanted to experience so much more with this beautiful woman. The things he could do to her, if only she knew.

“Um,” she began shyly, unable to hide her own pleased expression. “I figured tonight we could maybe watch some of the True Blood shows that you asked about.” Their eyes met and even in the dark he could see the tinge of blush that was still on her cheeks and smell the blood as it rose to the surface of her skin. “You’ll probably be able to figure out a way to prevent bad things better than me anyway. You are 2000 years old after all. There must be a wealth of knowledge and problem solving ability rolling around in that ancient brain of yours.”

“Do not underestimate yourself, little one. From what you have told me it would seem that you have altered much. You have made a difference, and I am impressed with what you have accomplished.”

“Thanks. But preventing a bar raid and catching a couple of drainers isn’t exactly monumental. I guess the maenad would have been a big headache, but it would have all worked out in the end. Maybe Eric has caught Rene by now. I left him note.” She never did tell him about Bill Compton.

He sat up and scooted close to her pulling her to face him. She looked back down at her hands nervously. “Making contact with Eric, a 1000 year old vampire, was very brave. Especially from one that has lived their entire life in a world devoid of vampires and all supernatural things.” He put his hand on her chin and lifted her face. “And you have given me reason enough to live. Not only to just live but to want to celebrate my life and the possibilities of the future.”

She blinked. “I have?” She mumbled in a cracked voice. “What reason?”

He looked around dramatically as if they were standing on a tall mountain looking at the Earth’s horizon and sky. “This world.” He sighed with regret at the thought of leaving his child. “And Eric.” His eyes locked back on hers. “And you.” His voice was barely a whisper as he spoke his last reason. He ghosted his thumb across her chin.

“Me?” She nearly gasped.

He chuckled. “Let us go and watch this True Blood television show.”

He was gone in a flash and behind her on the other side of the bed pulling the curtain open and letting in the yellow light from a bedside lamp wash over the darkness of the interior. He held his hand out to her and she put her palm in his as she tried not look at his bare chest looming over her. It wasn’t hard to notice his fully extended fangs as he pulled her into a standing position, and he was making no effort to hide it from her. In fact, she thought he quite enjoyed it like he was showing off. Godric seemed to have so many sides to him, and she was sure there were so many others she had yet to discover.

A/N: You are walking along a river at midnight minding your own damn business when suddenly…
Eric and Godric swoosh down and land on either side of you.
“I read that review you left about me last chapter,” Eric says smugly.
They close in on you and Godric’s fangs click out, “So descriptive, so intense, so…”
Eric interrupts. “My maker is trying to say you had us at your first word when you wrote OMG!“

I’m kind of shocked Eric hasn’t figured out Rene’s identity. He just needs to go back to Merlotte’s. Hope Rene doesn’t go after Gran to retaliate against Sookie’s note. And I almost feel bad for poor Jason sitting in jail the last 10 days.
‘Carl from California’ how original Alan. He is so screwed! Eric is on to you! Pam will have a new plaything to torture.
Snuggling with Godric! Where do I sign up?

Sookie, determined to save Godric, goes to the land of fairies to seek out the ancient knowledge of the Sanguinista resurrection. Meanwhile, back on Earth Eric must use all his centuries of wit and cunning to survive the chaos that is to come.

Sookie tries to use her fae magic to save Godric. But something goes terribly wrong and they are hurtled back in time 2000 years. Learn about Godric’s past and join him as falls in love with the woman who gave him a new beginning.